CDT: N or S? - Continental Divide Trail

imported
#1

What are your opinions on the best direction for hiking the CDT if the goal was making a continous journey and avoiding deep snows as much as possible?

Also, any opinions on sensible start dates for N vs S?

Colter

#2

A lot depends on the year. Last year there was very little snow in Colorado, but a lot of snow in Montana, so a south to north hike beginning at the end of April was very feasible, while southbound hikers had to wait until July to start. In a ‘normal’ year, it is a lot more difficult, if not impossible to do a straight northbound hike because of the snows in the San Juans. Most years, a southbound hike in one continuous direction is possible, if you start at the end of June and manage to avoid heavy early snows in Colorado. If you want to start a little earlier, you can begin in Central Montana in early June and hike north for a month or so, then take a bus back to your starting place and hike south for the rest of the journey. It takes the pressure off timewise, but means that you will deal with some snow the first couple of weeks. If you do a northbound hike you have the pressure of having to finish by early October, if not sooner. Going south, we were able to keep hiking until Thanksgiving. (Started May 30 in Butte and hiked until November 30). I know they had little snow in northern Colorado, I don’t know what kind of snow year it was in southern Colorado. If I were you, I’d find out now. Of course, if it is a low snow year in the west, you run the risk of not being able to hike continuously because of fires. Last year all the forests in New Mexico were closed just as the thruhikers began hiking through them and a few people were caught by closed forests in Colorado. In 2000, no northbound hikers were able to finish their hikes because Montana was closed in mid-August. Southbound is less risky in that respect. We liked the fact that in the dry stretches of northern Montana, we were able to get water from snowbanks long after the snow was gone from the trail.

Ginny

#3

So what about Colorado in July? I’m going to hike the Colorado section only this summer (either the CDT or CT), starting in July. I gather the snow will be clear down there just about everywhere in July, eh?

steve hiker